mirrortraveler

Okay. Thank you, @Boiler! So, I'm guessing if we file the divorce papers on Wednesday of this week, and since it's a simple divorce form without anything additional, we can expect to get a court date fairly quickly. Once we have officially divorced, do I need to tell USCIS anything at all?

I mean, if I was staying, I would have to send an I-751 waiver since our jointly filed I-751 is still pending, right? But since I'm leaving on December 8th, it's pretty much just the I-407 that tells them that I'm willfully abandoning my green card? 

Thanks again. I just need to be sure. Don't want to leave anything up to chance. 

We're not planning on getting a lawyer. We don't need one. I just want to make sure we'll be safe to go through with the divorce without me having to worry about anything bad from USCIS. My husband printed out the simple divorce paperwork the other day and one of the questions asks if I want to go back to my maiden name. I do, obviously, but that would mean my name no longer matches with the name on my immigration documents, my State ID, etc. and I don't want that to get me into trouble for the last couple of weeks/days of me being here. I don't think it will affect my travel since my passport is still in my maiden name, but what about all the other stuff? 

Hello guys, 

I'm really hoping this is the right part of the forum for this post, but I'm not sure. 

To make a long story short, I've been living in the US on a green card following marriage since 2015, and I filed the I-751 for Removal of Conditions in August of 2017. Approval (as expected) for a permanent green card is still pending and I'm currently on my second extension letter, according to which official, conditional residence has been granted until summer of next year. 

However, some things have changed. And I have decided to leave the US for good and go back to Germany permanently. The decision is made, and since my husband is just as adamant about staying as I am about leaving, we are planning on getting a divorce. We don't have any assets or children and we're in full agreement, so the Simple Dissolution of Marriage offered by the Clerk of Courts in our county in the state of Florida, seems adequate. My flight back to Germany leaves on the 8th of December, so we have to file the paperwork for the divorce rather quickly to say the least because it can take some time to get a court date. 

I am extremely nervous about this and full of questions. We are currently pretty much broke, too, so I'm trying to get some input from you guys before contacting an immigration attorney. 

First off, are we even doing it right? We both have to be present here in court for the divorce to take effect, right? There is no way to process this from overseas? I'm asking because I'm also nervous about what USCIS will do. If I get divorced now, but still have a few weeks to go before my flight, does that mean that I'm in the country illegally in the meantime? Does getting divorced now violate the conditions of my conditional green card holder status? Will my State ID still be valid? I really don't want to end up being arrested and detained here when I'm getting ready to leave, anyway. 

My other question is about filing the I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status. I would like to do this, since, to the best of my knowledge, it will prevent a five to ten year penalty for leaving my permanent resident status behind, so I can visit the US in the future if I need to. Can I send it from Germany, or would it be better to send it from here while I'm still in the country? 

Thanks a lot in advance! 

Another question: Does anyone know how, if this went through, it would affect people who have filed for Removal of Conditions (ROC), but are still stuck in limbo between temporary and long-term green card holder status? I see visa holders and those who have applied for AOS mentioned. Other articles say it will affect LPR's and naturalized citizens as well, especially anyone whose Removal of Conditions or naturalization is still pending. The proposal draft doesn't seem to mention it directly - or maybe I've just missed it. The wording is a bit vague in parts. 

@Dave&Kal: Wow! So sorry, I somehow didn't see that earlier. My bad. And thanks for reposting it.

6 hours ago, Dave&Kal said:

 

The proposal says immigrants would have the option of posting a minimum $10,000 bond to help overcome a determination that they are likely to be a "public charge." 

 

Unbelievable! total bullying! Inhumane to threaten legal immigrants for using what they were eligible and legal to use and now like a loser baby crying for the gift you gave away and now asking it back!  

@Dave&Kal: Could you link us to the source for that? Sorry if it was already posted and I just didn't see it. Just need it for reference purposes. 

Thanks! 

Please, no offense but I need actual answers to my post above. I don't have much time. The things you pointed out are corrected in the original form, but this is only about where to leave empty spaces, N/A, or None. 

Hello all, 

This is a partial copy of a post I made in a previous thread. I just wanted to see if I could get a few more second opinions (really, as many second opinions as possible) on this. I've discovered that I am having major difficulty filling out Form I-751, and judging from previous posts on this current edition of the form, I am thinking that I'm definitely not the only one. The instructions to put "N/A" or "None" in spaces that are not applicable seem fairly straightforward, but looking at the form itself, it quickly becomes unclear whether they mean really, actually EVERY line or just certain ones. 

I have read posts on here that state that a mistake with this could mean that an entire package gets rejected, so I want to be sure to get this 100% right, especially now, at a point where I have worked on this paperwork for months and will have to mail it all out before the weekend as the expiration date of my green card, September 21st, is approaching very soon. 

So today, I filled out a copy of Form I-751 with generic information to show how I approached this, in which spaces I put "N/A", in which spaces I put "None", and which ones I left blank. I would like to ask and encourage everyone, and especially the forum moderators if they should have the time, to take a look at this example and tell me what I did wrong so I can learn, correct, and once the we've worked through it, hopefully the final result can serve as an example form for others trying to figure out how to fill out non-applicable spaces. I am attaching the .pdf of this "example form" I made to this post. Here are the questions I have referring to it: 

Page 1:

• I put N/A in the middle name line (1c). 2a and 2b are incorrect, as I would have to add my maiden first name and last name there. But otherwise, should I put "N/A" in every line for previous names that I can't fill out?
• Does putting "None" as the USCIS Online account number work? Should I instead put N/A or leave it blank?
• Can I leave any question with an "(if any)" blank? 
• Under "Marital Status", question 13, asking for date of divorce or date of death, neither applies. Can I put "N/A" in the place where the date should be or should I leave it blank? 

Page 2: 

• When it comes to addresses and there is no "In Care Of" name, should I put "N/A" or leave it blank. 
• If an entire address isn't relevant, can I just put "N/A" in the top line/field and leave the rest blank or does every line of the address need an "N/A"? What about the State? 

Page 3: 

• Under my spouse's personal information, if he doesn't have an A-Number, should I leave the field blank, put N/A, or should I put "None"? 
• If "Province" and "Postal Code" don't apply in an address, should I put N/A for both, None, or leave them blank? 

Page 4:

• When it comes to Children (which we don't have), if I put "None" in the first name line and leave the rest blank, should I put N/A under that child's address, None, or leave it completely blank? Have I done it correctly in the form attached?

Page 5: 

• In part 6 ("Accomodations for Individuals with Disabilities and/or Impairments"), if I answer "No" to all of the first three questions, should I put N/A in the spaces provided for those who have answered "Yes" under questions 4a - 4c? Or should I leave them blank? 

Page 6: 

• Under "Petitioner's Statement", similar to my question above, if the box next to an option isn't checked, should I still put N/A in the space provided? Or should I leave it blank? 

Page 8, 9, and 10: 

• When it comes to the information for the Interpreter and the Preparer (we don't have either), should I put N/A in all the name fields (First Name, Last Name, and Business)? Should I put "None" in all? "None" in the first line (as I have it) or N/A in the first line? 
• How about the mailing address for Interpreter and/or Preparer? N/A in the first field/line and leave the other ones blank? Or N/A in all? 
• Under Daytime Phone Number, Mobile Phone Number, and Email for Interpreter/Preparer, I have put N/A on every line. Is that correct? If not, what else should I put? 

Page 9: 

• Under Part 9, "Interpreters Contact Information, Certification, and Signature (continued)", in the blank space provided, is it correct to "complete" the sentence with "I am fluent in English and N/A..."? Should it instead be "None"? Or should the space be left blank?
• Under "Interpreter's Signature" and "Preparer's Signature", should I put "N/A" in both the signature line and the date line? Or is that completely wrong?

Page 11: 

• I forgot to include Page 11 in the .pdf file attached, but we have two entries for previous addresses, which go into the first field. Once again, I have last name, first name, and then an N/A in the middle name line. Below that, we have my A-Number in Line 2, "Page Number" in Line 3.a., "Part Number" in Line 3.b., and "Item Number" in Line 3.c. For the following fields (4.a. - 7.d.), I have put "None" in each line under "Page Number", "Part Number", and "Item Number" and "N/A" in the main fields underneath. Is that okay? Is there anything I should change? 

Thank you very much in advance for any and all replies! 

I-751 Example Compressed.pdf

Thank you for your help, KULtoATL and ff! Going with N/A under the middle name makes more sense to me as "None" is an actual word and might be mistaken for a name of some sort. But I am once again not sure. Shouldn't there be hard and fast rules for this instead of leaving it so vague? 

I am so unsure about this and really scared as I have to send out the package this week and I have no idea what is right. There are people here on the forum who say that every single space should be filled out with an N/A or none if they are empty and that entire packages have been rejected because of a form not filled out right in that regard, with no explanation of what the "right" way to fill these out even is. I have worked on this for so long now, I don't want it all to be rejected. 

I have tried to clarify things as much as I can by making a duplicate/"dummy"/example form I-751, showing how I filled things out without the personal details, where I put "N/A", where I put "None" and where I left it blank. The file is very compressed, so I hope it's readable. I am attaching it to this email and will ask my further questions based on this .pdf to make things easier. 

Page 1:

• I put N/A in the middle name line (1c). 2a and 2b are incorrect, as I would have to add my maiden first name and last name there. But otherwise, should I put "N/A" in every line for previous names that I can't fill out?
• Does putting "None" as the USCIS Online account number work? Should I instead put N/A or leave it blank?
• Can I leave any question with an "(if any)" blank? 
• Under "Marital Status", question 13, asking for date of divorce or date of death, neither applies. Can I put "N/A" in the place where the date should be or should I leave it blank? 

Page 2: 

• When it comes to addresses and there is no "In Care Of" name, should I put "N/A" or leave it blank. 
• If an entire address isn't relevant, can I just put "N/A" in the top line/field and leave the rest blank or does every line of the address need an "N/A"? What about the State? 

Page 3: 

• Under my spouse's personal information, if he doesn't have an A-Number, should I leave the field blank, put N/A, or should I put "None"? 
• If "Province" and "Postal Code" don't apply in an address, should I put N/A for both, None, or leave them blank? 

Page 4:

• When it comes to Children (which we don't have), if I put "None" in the first name line and leave the rest blank, should I put N/A under that child's address, None, or leave it completely blank? Have I done it correctly in the form attached?

Page 5: 

• In part 6 ("Accomodations for Individuals with Disabilities and/or Impairments"), if I answer "No" to all of the first three questions, should I put N/A in the spaces provided for those who have answered "Yes" under questions 4a - 4c? Or should I leave them blank? 

Page 6: 

• Under "Petitioner's Statement", similar to my question above, if the box next to an option isn't checked, should I still put N/A in the space provided? Or should I leave it blank? 

Page 8, 9, and 10: 

• When it comes to the information for the Interpreter and the Preparer (we don't have either), should I put N/A in all the name fields (First Name, Last Name, and Business)? Should I put "None" in all? "None" in the first line (as I have it) or N/A in the first line? 
• How about the mailing address for Interpreter and/or Preparer? N/A in the first field/line and leave the other ones blank? Or N/A in all? 
• Under Daytime Phone Number, Mobile Phone Number, and Email for Interpreter/Preparer, I have put N/A on every line. Is that correct? If not, what else should I put? 

Page 9: 

• Under Part 9, "Interpreters Contact Information, Certification, and Signature (continued)", in the blank space provided, is it correct to "complete" the sentence with "I am fluent in English and N/A..."? Should it instead be "None"? Or should the space be left blank?
• Under "Interpreter's Signature" and "Preparer's Signature", should I put "N/A" in both the signature line and the date line? Or is that completely wrong?

Page 11: 

• I forgot to include Page 11 in the .pdf file attached, but we have two entries for previous addresses, which go into the first field. Once again, I have last name, first name, and then an N/A in the middle name line. Below that, we have my A-Number in Line 2, "Page Number" in Line 3.a., "Part Number" in Line 3.b., and "Item Number" in Line 3.c. For the following fields (4.a. - 7.d.), I have put "None" in each line under "Page Number", "Part Number", and "Item Number" and "N/A" in the main fields underneath. Is that okay? Is there anything I should change? 

Thank you so much for any and all replies! I will make a new post for this, too, so it can be found more easily. Trying to get as many opinions on it as I can, and later I can post the corrected form example as a template to the forum so that other members might benefit. 

I-751 Example Compressed.pdf

Hey you guys, 

Sorry, once again really confused here: Where on the i-751 does an N/A apply? Does it really have to be EVERY blank space?!

I don't have a middle name as such, so N/A for middle name? 

N/A for no Province or Postal Code in an address? 

If we have no children whatsoever, should we put N/A or None in every single space under each child, or just in the first line? 

This is highly confusing and honestly, I'm terrified of getting something wrong. In all the examples I see here on VJ and in other places online, people simply leave spaces blank when they don't apply. Are there any examples out there where someone actually put N/A or None so we have something that makes sense? 

Lastly, can we write the N/A's or None's in by hand, or do they have to be typed? My .pdf setup for the whole USCIS form doesn't allow me to write N/A anywhere. 

Thanks! 

Hey all, 

These will hopefully be the last questions I have to ask before finally sending our I-751 package. Sadly, this is also our most difficult issue in the process so far.

Sorry this is such a long story, but please bear with me: 

We have had a lot of problems with Health Insurance Marketplace (aka Healthcare.gov) since 2015. At first, there was the issue with them not allowing me to get on my husband's health insurance plan. I received my Green Card in September of 2015, but in order to get on the same health insurance plan, they made us sign up for a brand new one. This process took a while and we weren't officially covered jointly until March of 2016. From that point onward, we had to switch insurances twice as not all the information on our choices was disclosed right away and we ended up with plans that did not work for us. We finally settled on the plan that we are on now in July of 2016 and have had the same health insurance plan ever since. 

We have had to wait for the overdue correct paperwork for a long time, but Health Insurance Marketplace has now finally given us three consecutive 1095a documents for 2016, showing all the times so far that we have been covered jointly. They are having trouble producing paperwork saying that we have been covered for 2017 as well, but Florida Blue, our actual health insurance provider, has that covered. The evidence that we have from them, however, still has our previous address on them (we moved in November of last year), since address changes have to go through Health Insurance Marketplace and...let's just say they are having problems getting that to work as well. We have tried our best, called them almost every other day, but we are at a point right now where we are running out of time, have to just send what we have in health insurance-related documents with our I-751 and hope for the best. 

My questions are: 

1) Could USCIS take issue with the fact that we were not jointly insured until March of 2016, considering I arrived in 2015? 

2) Should we send those 1095a forms as proof and explain the circumstances in a letter? Should we send all of them, or only the ones that show both of us insured? Or will that just raise more questions? 

3) I don't drive, so can't be on my husband's car insurance and the only other joint insurance plan we have proof of is renter's insurance, which we signed up for merely a month ago. Will it be enough if we can prove that we have had health insurance since the beginning of the year, even if the address information is outdated? 

Thank you very much for your help in advance! 

Correction: We didn't make our first payment until November 3rd. 

What if I don't have our exact move-in date? We signed the lease for our new apartment in early October of last year and made our first payment about a week after but didn't actually move in until November. The email from USCIS confirming our change of address arrived in my inbox on November 12th. I know I filed the change of address within the 10 days given. Should I take an educated guess or is that not enough? 

Hey all, 

A quick question about listing previous addresses on Form i-751: On page 2 of the form, in Question 22, they ask: "Have you resided at any other address since you became a permanent resident?" My husband and I have lived in three different places in this area since I became a resident, so we have to answer with "yes".  

The form continues: "If you answered 'Yes' to Item Number 22., provide a list of all addresses where you have resided since becoming a permanent resident and the dates you resided at those locations in the space provided in Part 11, Additional Information."

Do these have to be exact dates down to the day, or can we just provide the month and the year? 

Thank you in advance! 

We have living wills. Those were extremely easy to get, though. Too easy? I mean, they were signed by witnesses and us, but notarization wasn't even necessary. And we got them barely a month ago. I think we have sufficient evidence overall, but it's been tough getting the right updated information from our health insurance and our utility companies have been very difficult as well. And as always with this, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Also, I received a reminder letter from USCIS saying we should include the affidavits, so we will. It's no problem for our friends, as they will gladly do them and have them notarized, as long as they know how they should look. I found a good format the other day. We'll just have each friend print out a version with and one without the part for the notary at the bottom of the page. Then the notary can pick whichever one works best for them. Thank you for talking me through it. 

Thanks for the clarification, TBone TX. Do you think it's necessary to include the official letterhead at the top, the legal speak, and have them give both their date of birth and their current address,  as in the example letter (attached), though? 

USCIS_I751_Affidavit.doc

Hey you guys, 

So we are still working on our I-751 package and have designated three US citizen friends to write affidavits. They intend to take them to their local banks to have them notarized. So far so good. I am just not entirely sure what a "sworn affidavit" needs to look like. Going by the example provided by the forum, it seems overtly formal. Can it just be a dated and signed letter without the letterhead and stuff? Should it still mention things like my A# and have that whole section at the bottom for the notary to fill out, instead of just putting their stamp on it? Where, if anywhere, does the date go? Do they really need to know our friends' home addresses and birthdates? I guess I am also wondering if anyone has some examples. 

Thank you all in advance for the help! 

Hey all, 

I have a quick question concerning the affidavits from friends/relatives required for the I-751. 

One of our closest friends is a notary and says she would be able to notarize the affidavits for the ROC once they have been written, however, this friend was also the financial co-sponsor on my initial green card application. Would this clash? Does it make a difference to USCIS? Also was wondering if the affidavits need to be in that format provided by the forum as an example or can they be just dated and signed letters? 

Thanks in advance! 

Hey you guys, 

Thank you very much for all the excellent advice! Bill & Katja, we took your advice and got living wills. That was a brilliant idea! We've been so busy, but hopefully, we can finish this up and mail it all out by the end of this month (the expiry date of my visa being about two months away at this point). We've got most of what we need. I just had two more questions: 

1) On Form I-751, it asks for previous addresses in the US and from which date to which date we stayed there. I have given our two previous addresses with the month and year of our move-in and move-out dates. Does it have to be any more exact than that? Do they want the day we moved in and moved out, or is month and year enough?

2) I heard somewhere on here that the affidavits from friends and family need to be notarized? We have a friend who is a notary, who could do that. But she was also our financial co-sponsor on my K-1 and initial Green Card application. Will it be okay for her to notarize the letters or would USCIS have a problem with that? 

Thank you all in advance! 

Got my state ID renewed without problems. Had to pay a small fee of about $20 or so. Nothing major, though, and card was printed within the hour. Thanks again for the help! 

Hey all, 

So we are starting to finally work on our I-751. My temporary green card, which I acquired through marriage in September 2015 will expire soon and my husband and I are hard at work to gather all the necessary paperwork. There are some items we don't have as I will describe below and we have some questions about how to best deal with this. As always, we appreciate and are eternally grateful for the collective expertise of everyone here. You guys have helped us tremendously already! 

Anyway, here are my questions:

1) Timeframe: My conditional green card expires on September 21st of this year. I know that within a couple of days we will be in the 90 day period mentioned, in which we will need to get our papers sent out. We have already received the letter from USCIS reminding us of this. I know that obviously, the sooner we mail our papers the better, but how much time within that 90 day period can we let pass? Realistically speaking, and from your experience, should we have it all sent out at the beginning of the 90 day period, so in a little over a week, or can we give ourselves a little more time than that?  

2) Taxes: Obviously, we will need tax documents, but which ones do they really want? Just W-2's or more? We filed with H&R Block last year, but this year I was traveling during that time, so my husband insisted on filing our taxes online. I hope he did everything right, but we have no real feedback. I realize that a big part of this has to do with me not knowing much about filing taxes in the US and probably thinking that there is more to the process. 

3) Insurance: Our health insurance allows only one name on it, but all the bills and statements list me as the other beneficiary. So that should be sufficient, right? He has car insurance, but I can't be listed on it since I don't drive and don't have a driver's license. So would just the health insurance be enough? The monthly payments for both are billed to our joint bank account and it shows on the bank statements, if that helps. 

4)  Rent and Utilities: We are living in an apartment in an apartment complex with one other roommate. All of our names are on the current lease and we are just signing a new one for the same place. So all that's covered. But our utility companies so far refuse to put more than one name on their bills. None of them will budge and the complex can't write any letters in  that regard for us, explaining why (because if they do it for one person, they have to do it for everyone else, yada yada, etc.). What can we do? Will it be sufficient if USCIS sees on our bank statements thatwe pay for electricity and provide a statement from our roommate reading that we share utilities, but the water is billed to her account? Thanks! 

5) Previous Rent and Utilities: We have lived in three separate places over the past two years. First, at his dad's house (which he owns), where we didn't pay rent or utilities, then at a friend's place (which he owns), and we paid rent and utilities privately to him, and now at this apartment complex. Should we provide letters from his dad and our friend to say when we lived there and what our rent/utility arrangements were? 

And finally...

What we have so far (not necessarily in order): 

• Form I-751
• Payment of fee + biometrics fee 
• Front and back copy of my green card (should this be enlarged, or regular size?) 
• Written testimonies from family, friends, and even the legally ordained minister at our wedding
• W-2's for the past two years
• Bank statements from our joint checking account for the last two years (do we need a joint savings account, too?) 
• Health insurance statements and bills for the last two years (as detailed above) 
• Lease agreements for our apartment listing our names and the name of our roommate, as well as correspondence with our front office, also listing all three names 
• Paperwork for a charitable donation I made as a gift to my husband, both names listed. 
• A few leaflets from the hotel where we stayed during our honeymoon weekend 
• The detailed invoice for our wedding rings (in German, though, since my sister bought the rings from a German company as a gift and paid for it) 
• The detailed invoice for our wedding cake 
• A LOT of photos from our wedding, some from our honeymoon weekend, and others from the past two years. 
• Copies of pages from our wedding guest book 
• Copies of cards we got at our wedding, one happy anniversary card, various other postcards and christmas cards addressed to us as a couple. 

Is there anything else that we are still missing, anything that we need to provide? We haven't made any big purchases together, since we have been fortunate enough to have furniture and things provided by our families or our roommate.  I am currently getting my state ID renewed. Do I need to include that as well? Would it be better, or does it not matter? 

Anyways, thank you all again very much for the help and your answers! 

That's good to know, sparkles. Will be sure to check if they do that in Florida. Thanks!  

Phew...thanks for the quick reply, Penguin! That had me worried. Shall updated it asap, anyway, of course. But thanks again! It's so easy to get all paranoid about immigration with all that political insanity going on right now. 

Hiya all and thank you in advance for helping me out! 

I have a bit of a weird issue here and am quite embarrassed for letting this slide for so long. But long story short, I immigrated in early 2015 on a K1, got married to my husband in February of that year, received my green card a few months later in September. Now, everything is up to date, properly filed, etc. when it comes to all things immigration-related, and we are about to file the documents to make my conditional green card permanent. But over the course of the last two years, a lot has happened in our lives, we moved several times within the state (always updated my address with USCIS, of course, so all is current), I got very sick, recovered, spent some time in Europe with my parents, came back, changed jobs to a work-from-home gig with lots of commitments and very little sleep. And all the while, it's been a challenge for us to keep our address up to date with banks and phone companies and such, so...since I also don't drive, I have to confess, I let updating my state ID after getting the green card slide. Now, I of course know I need to do it, but I am worried that I might get in trouble with USCIS or someone else if they find out that I have neglected to update it for such a long time.  Does anyone here have experience with this? If yes, do you think I will get in trouble or should I be fine? 
 

Thanks so much in advance! 

I guess my real question here is: Is it enough to just have filled out the online change of address form, or do I have to send a physical form AR-11 to USCIS as well?